South Korea to re-examine 310,000 missing person cases after fake record scandal
Summary
South Korean police will review about 310,000 missing persons cases closed in the last three years after a scandal in which an officer allegedly falsified records to close cases, two of which involved deceased individuals. President Lee Jae Myung has called for an investigation and reform, while the government admitted structural problems in how missing persons cases are handled.Key Facts
- A police officer in Jeju was arrested for allegedly falsifying records to close missing persons cases.
- Two missing people, a woman and a man, whose cases the officer closed, were later found dead.
- Over 70,000 adults were reported missing last year in South Korea, with 99.7% of cases closed without a full search.
- Korean law only formally recognizes children, autistic people, and those with dementia or mental disabilities as missing persons, giving police more search tools for these groups.
- Adults not in these categories are classified as runaways and don’t receive the same search efforts or tools.
- The officer denies wrongdoing but faces charges including neglect of duty and falsifying records.
- The police review of cases will finish by November and cases with signs of improper handling will be reopened.
- Attempts to pass laws to improve search powers for missing adults have failed due to concerns about privacy and possible abuse of tracking powers.
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